I just listened to the special episode. Really cool person,Aivi, of course. You guys were drooling all over her when she mentioned corridors of time xD.Her music is fantastic, I was taken aback in fact. It will be something that Ill listen even if I never get around to playing the games themselves! Anyways, great stuff!

All right! Get caught up on my podcasts after being out of them for so long with the move and such I have had fun things to say and add and such!

First and foremost, I have said as much on Twitter, that you guys have gotten things off to a great start! Loving the series and how it's approached. Also love that I got a shoutout AND you got your own version of the podcast theme song done! I R TEH HELPING!

Anyhow, I'ma backtrack to the Ormand Alliance episode:

LOVE IT.

Okay, that's done. Summer Chill? Super sweet, though totally took some different directions than I thought. I don't know if I fully agree with how "summery" some of them were, but the nostalgia dip into "this is the game I played in the summer" totally made sense too.

As soon as the episode started, I was totally waiting for Legend of Mana because, man, that game IS summer and I'm so glad you got there. I mean, I'm sure you had a tough call with what to choose, and Hometown Domina was a good way to go, though there are SO many more tracks that have more of that 'let's hit the beach' vibe of the summer. To The Sea was the first thing I thought of when you mentioned summer. Furthermore, I was really expecting you to get to another town theme, from Ragnarok Online, Theme of Alberta, but didn't come up. Still. Summer. ENJOY.

Anyways, solid, solid episode that opened my mind to all kinds of new stuff.

Now I'm onto Don't Tease the Octopus, which had such an obvious meaning and I love that Rob kicked it off with Decisive Battle. I'm expecting much more Final Fantasy from this, but there're also so many other JRPGs I have not been privy too and I look forward to, again, having new stuff exposed to me.

Anyhow, Stephen, Derek, you know I love your guy's work. Keep it up! Thanks for all the awesome!

I just listened to the special episode of Rhythm Encounter, I gotta say, pretty good. No offense, but you guys should try to get musicians or the musically educated on more often. As demonstrated here and in Ormund Alliance they have the better grasp of how to talk about the music and it really livens up the conversation that you both bring to the table. Not that I think the show is bad without it(due to outside influence Summer Chill is probably my favourite), but it seems to have a really positive effect. I was also really pleased with how overtly sincere and positive this episode was, it really sold Aivi and her music. I wish I had listened to it when it came out so I could have Kickstarted Soul Saga, looks like I'll buy it like regular chumps. I've grabbed The Black Box though.It was also a great surprise. Different from what you've done so far and I didn't expect that. Keep up the good work.

You still have one month via paypal. Had I know this was going to happen, I wouldn't have pledged but wait so I could have gotten the physical game and soundtrack rather than the digital version of each at the same pledge amount (still a little upset with that stunt).

I was also really pleased with how overtly sincere and positive this episode was, it really sold Aivi and her music.

That's one thing I really like about Miss. Aivi Tran: her personality. Listening to her on the podcast and twitch tv when Disastercake was doing a marathon of FF7/6 to promote the kickstarter (I saw you in there Taelus! Though, my username in there was Rhythmroo :)), I sensed a great deal of humbleness and warmth in her dialogue. That same humbleness and warmth is translated into her work, thus proucing music that is unique and familiar: The Tran-sound. I can't wait for both of her soundtracks to come out, as well as Breeze in the Clouds's soundtrack if she continues it.

No offense, but you guys should try to get musicians or the musically educated on more often. As demonstrated here and in Ormund Alliance they have the better grasp of how to talk about the music and it really livens up the conversation that you both bring to the table. Not that I think the show is bad without it(due to outside influence Summer Chill is probably my favourite), but it seems to have a really positive effect.

While I would have chose another way of saying it (perhaps experienced listeners?), I agree that getting someone else that is able to expand the musical vocabulary of the podcast might be of interest. This isn't saying that I don't like the podcast the way it is now--far from it--but to have a balanced dialogue between the fan and the composer/experienced listener could be a learning experience for both parties, especially for the audience.

You still have one month via paypal. Had I know this was going to happen, I wouldn't have pledged but wait so I could have gotten the physical game and soundtrack rather than the digital version of each at the same pledge amount (still a little upset with that stunt).

Thank you very much! :D The month is a really nice window to see if I can budget in the physical copies of the game and soundtrack too. Sorry.

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That's one thing I really like about Miss. Aivi Tran: her personality. Listening to her on the podcast and twitch tv when Disastercake was doing a marathon of FF7/6 to promote the kickstarter (I saw you in there Taelus! Though, my username in there was Rhythmroo :)), I sensed a great deal of humbleness and warmth in her dialogue. That same humbleness and warmth is translated into her work, thus proucing music that is unique and familiar: The Tran-sound. I can't wait for both of her soundtracks to come out, as well as Breeze in the Clouds's soundtrack if she continues it.

Even though you sound like a Jedi "I sense a great deal of humbleness in you," I don't think I could have said it better myself.

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While I would have chose another way of saying it (perhaps experienced listeners?), I agree that getting someone else that is able to expand the musical vocabulary of the podcast might be of interest. This isn't saying that I don't like the podcast the way it is now--far from it--but to have a balanced dialogue between the fan and the composer/experienced listener could be a learning experience for both parties, especially for the audience.

Yes, I do believe I worded that inelegantly. I probably didn't need to include my 'error in terminology' because it is implied when talking about musicians. On the topic at hand. Having a guest it isn't something that needs to happen all the time just having a good selection of music, sharing stories and geeking out is a lot of fun. I just felt that the episodes with guests were still a lot of fun, but opened up different avenues of dialogue. Just clarifying.

I'm not familiar with this Mr. Kristofferson. I'm going to have to break my one rule about listening to people from Manitoba. I jest. Actually, I was looking over it and it sounded great, but wasn't sure if I'd have time (that sir, is an excuse) with all my other podcasts until I saw he dedicated an entire episode to Uncharted Waters. That game (and most of Koei's output) is criminally underrepresented in broader Video Game culture. So, I downloaded all the episodes...I'll tell ya how I feel about it, but yeah I think I just might like it too. :)

You still have one month via paypal. Had I know this was going to happen, I wouldn't have pledged but wait so I could have gotten the physical game and soundtrack rather than the digital version of each at the same pledge amount (still a little upset with that stunt).

Thank you very much! :D The month is a really nice window to see if I can budget in the physical copies of the game and soundtrack too. Sorry.

Quote

That's one thing I really like about Miss. Aivi Tran: her personality. Listening to her on the podcast and twitch tv when Disastercake was doing a marathon of FF7/6 to promote the kickstarter (I saw you in there Taelus! Though, my username in there was Rhythmroo :)), I sensed a great deal of humbleness and warmth in her dialogue. That same humbleness and warmth is translated into her work, thus proucing music that is unique and familiar: The Tran-sound. I can't wait for both of her soundtracks to come out, as well as Breeze in the Clouds's soundtrack if she continues it.

Even though you sound like a Jedi "I sense a great deal of humbleness in you," I don't think I could have said it better myself.

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While I would have chose another way of saying it (perhaps experienced listeners?), I agree that getting someone else that is able to expand the musical vocabulary of the podcast might be of interest. This isn't saying that I don't like the podcast the way it is now--far from it--but to have a balanced dialogue between the fan and the composer/experienced listener could be a learning experience for both parties, especially for the audience.

Yes, I do believe I worded that inelegantly. I probably didn't need to include my 'error in terminology' because it is implied when talking about musicians. On the topic at hand. Having a guest it isn't something that needs to happen all the time just having a good selection of music, sharing stories and geeking out is a lot of fun. I just felt that the episodes with guests were still a lot of fun, but opened up different avenues of dialogue. Just clarifying.

I'm not familiar with this Mr. Kristofferson. I'm going to have to break my one rule about listening to people from Manitoba. I jest. Actually, I was looking over it and it sounded great, but wasn't sure if I'd have time (that sir, is an excuse) with all my other podcasts until I saw he dedicated an entire episode to Uncharted Waters. That game (and most of Koei's output) is criminally underrepresented in broader Video Game culture. So, I downloaded all the episodes...I'll tell ya how I feel about it, but yeah I think I just might like it too. :)

Haha, yeah, sometimes Jedi speech is perhaps the best form of feeling-talking. ;)

Also, thanks for clarifying! :) I come across a lot of text that use terms such as "educated musicians/persons" or "unlearned person" (when going further back in decades), and they usually are used in opposition to the "Laymen," or regular/nonprofessional, listener. I guess I grew sensitive to the word "educated" overtime?

But yeah, perhaps I was too narrow minded in regards to the balance thing. Sometimes it's good to just turn the podcast on, listen to catchy music, and hear friends geek out about how awesome the music is. :)

Into the Score is a little on the academic side, but a great listen none-the-less. If you manage to find time--or portion each episode--you might find out some interesting stuff you'd probably overlook (I swoon at that Dragon Quest VIII podcast <3). Honestly, I'm surprised he didn't touch upon the Wild Arms series, since that sucker is a goldmine of ecstasy (wink wink).

Also, thanks for clarifying! :) I come across a lot of text that use terms such as "educated musicians/persons" or "unlearned person" (when going further back in decades), and they usually are used in opposition to the "Laymen," or regular/nonprofessional, listener. I guess I grew sensitive to the word "educated" overtime?

In an effort to slim down the replies, I figured I only needed to quote this. I can absolutely understand where you are coming from. Having studied film at University it quickly became obvious that most people fell into a small selection of groups. For some reason one of those groups (the Indie/Avant-Garde guys) didn't like to hear a word from those without a cinematic background as if there experiences were worthless. They were also annoyingly opposed to the Blockbuster Cinema group where if you liked any made for mass consumption films, they no longer cared about your opinion. Not that they never had something legitimate to say, but they were exclusionary to a ridiculous level. Some of those people went on attempting a career as a critic *sigh*...

Thank you Wild (can I call you Wild?) for introducing me to Into the Score. It is introducing me to stuff about music I've never known. Like, I can tell you what colour is in the context of music, that is pretty cool. I decided to hit random and listen to whatever - I got Shadow of the Colossus which is a two-parter with FFT. What an awesome collection of music and I really enjoyed the way he dissected each section of the FFT music pointing out the purpose and feeling of each - it was super interesting. I knew the musical development stuff, because I'm a history nerd, but it was a really great way to contextualize the symphony orchestra and use it to point out how it informs Otani and Sakimoto's texture in the music. I'm going to hit shuffle again and see where that takes me :)

I only have two complaints:1. I wish he wouldn't do his "what happened on this year" thing. It's distracting and a time-waster.2. At the moment I only listen to music on an emotional level. I am afraid I'll start engaging music with my brain! It'll be fine later on, but when you first start to think critically about your media it is hard to both be present and be aware. It takes a lot of practice to enjoy things the way you did before once you start recognizing the mechanics underneath. At least that is how it's been with movies and books (and increasingly games too) and I use music as my escapism instead.

TL;DR - Listen to Into the Score if you like VGM, it really is an excellent podcast.

TL;DR - Listen to Into the Score if you like VGM, it really is an excellent podcast.

Ah, yes, cliques…you’ll find those everywhere you go, but in the Arts it’s like that on GOD-MODE ( so I can greatly sympathize with you in that regards). While we had those kinds of groups in the music department, some of the staff was welcoming to all genres of music (thank goodness). One particular professor actually was very encouraging while I was under their guidance as I constructed a draft for my video game music history syllabus (same professor I studied under that I wrote a Grandia paper for).

It’s just a darn shame that the students will cling to a certain genre of music and ostracize others if they don’t share the same ideals. While I myself belong to studying 20th/21th century and videogame music seriously, I keep an open mind about other genres/periods of music—whether from ancient times to Romantic, or Villancicos to hip-hop. All music is so intriguing that I cannot allow myself to close my ears off to any genre/period of music.

I’m glad you liked Into the Score (you can call me wild/wa if it’s easier, I don’t mind :)) because it’s always pleasing to hear others thoughts on game music. It’s always fascinating hearing what others bring to the table about game music, whether it’s academic or simply telling their favorite part in a track. I plan on giving this series a listen soon since I need some refreshing on what some of the podcasts were about…

I don’t mind the “What happened on this year” portion, I’m a patient guy, but I can see how it does slow the main course from reaching its plate. In regards to your 2nd concern: Generally, I listen to music on a sensuous level of listening way before I give it serious, analytical thought. This holds even more true for OP/ED of anime—that sucker is 100% sensuous listening ( I’ve listened to Silly-Go-Round for 4 years without giving it a second thought in regards to Critical listening-This song rocks ;)). I’ll have more to say about later (perhaps I’ll edit it in) but I’m running a little short on time. Good talking to ya! :)

2. ... It takes a lot of practice to enjoy things the way you did before once you start recognizing the mechanics underneath. At least that is how it's been with movies and books (and increasingly games too) and I use music as my escapism instead.

I'm going to just split this into two posts (sorry for double post!)

You're correct in believing that it'll take practice to go back to how you used to listen to music. However, I don't believe that's a bad thing...as with studying the various subjects of music, it prepares you in being able to describe not only what's happening in a piece/song, but also why you like/love/adore that piece of music. Speaking out of experience, as you can gather from my response above with "Silly-Go-Round," i can turn that critical listening off at the snap of a finger. I will not listen to a piece of music critically the first time unless for a music exam, which then I am required to turn my thinking cap on--but even then, the professor will play it one or two more times afterwards to let it sink in.

Of course, I feel I would cheat you of a fuller answer if I stopped there, so below is a skeletal breakdown in how I see each music subject in regards to its application in critical listening:

Music Theorythe theory taught in class is not something to bore the heck out of our minds (though some of it can be tedious) but for something greater that some students probably won't understand until later in their career.

What I'm talking about specifically is learning the ideas (like modes, progressions, etc.) and terminology (names for those ideas) in describing what is happening in a piece of music, and seeing that terminology/ideas in the scores. Once a student understands as much as they can in describing what's happening in a piece, then what they can do is put that knowledge to use and describe why they like in certain pieces of music that they themselves love, but would probably not find in a music theory class right away (game music, anime music).

But wait a sec, how are they able to tell if a piece of music is using a French/Italian/German 6th chord (more chords, ack!) that they learned in theory in a piece if they don't have the music score in front of them? Well, that's where sight singing and EAR TRAINING (while this is what the class is called usually, the emphasis is my own) comes in.

Sight Singing and Ear TrainingThis class isn't there to make you wet your pants when you have to sing the melody to the beginning of the Infernal Dance from Stravinsky's Firebird (horns in the beginning)...at times some of the singing did give me grey hairs (i have them to prove it ;))

Generally, students are trained in singing pieces of classical (not to be confused with the Classical Era) literature and/or practice pieces, but they are required--by the end of each semester--to distinguish the nuances of the chords presented to them aurally, identifying them (and spell them in the correct inversion) that they learned up 'till that point. In other words, you're taking what you learned in theory and putting it into practice.

Anecdote Half time!: To help me with singing/hearing french6th chords (one chord is Ab, C, D, F#) I would remember the first three notes in that chord are the same for Saria's theme (but a different key). This is actually an example of putting what I learned to practice--and to help me--with video game music as the learning tool.

For some--like vocalists--the class may be easier for them, seeing they are engaging their own instrument in class--their body (you better believe this is more than a vocal cord singing...). For myself, this wasn't the case (pianist here), but darn did I do my best (actually passed with a B- in the end). Anyways, once you learn what you've learned in theory sounds like isolated alone (chords alone) and in context (within the music), there comes the next step of understanding what instruments are playing those chords when hearing them in their Orchestral form.

OrchestrationFavorite class, hands down, is Orchestration! You learn a great deal of information (ranges, timbre, transpositions, etc.) the families of each instrument used in an Orchestra. If you’re fortunate enough and the class runs a full year, then you might be introduced to instruments generally not used in a classical orchestra (like the Tabla, Gamelan, Sitar, Didgeridoo, and so on).

Personally, I find Orchestration being one of the most important classes any music student can—and should—take. You’ll get the option of hearing each instrument by itself and together with other instruments. My class was fortunate to have demonstrations from the students themselves, as well as have our orchestrations played by large ensembles.

Of course, there's a lot that goes with this class than just hearing music/instruments: Terminology again! It's back...with vengeance! I'll just use an example of one string technique that you you're probably familiar with, especially if you're a a fan of Mr. Koichi Sugiyama's Dragon Quest arrangements: Pizzicato. More or less, pizzicato--or pizz. for short--is instead of using the bow to play a note, you pluck it instead with your finger. Musical example: Dragon Quest VIII OST - Intermezzo ~ Menu Theme.

Aaaaaaand, that's it for now. I don't want to make this too longer...for everyone's eyes' sake. From these classes I've extracted a great deal of knowledge that I would be able to apply if I was needed to listen to a piece of music critically. However, the perks of having years of music studying under my belt is that it's possible to explain in more detail why I love a certain piece of videogame music, whether in its entirety or just a certain section that redeems it from sounding like other game music.

TL;DR: Learning how to listen critically probably won't take your escape away, but grants you the ability to explain why you love a piece of music, and for that, would be a sacrifice of the sensuous worth taking...

I promise you that you'll be able to switch back and forth the sensuous at the snap of a finger (I'm still not caring about the progression of Silly-Go-Round while I'm listening to it right now). ;)

Man, first I have to apologize Wild. I read this the first day you wrote it and I was waiting for a good time to respond in full. Unfortunately, I ended up having less to say than I thought and it took way too long. Sorry.

Mostly, I want to say that this was a really interesting read and while I don't think I've learned enough just listening to Into the Score to really effect my music knowledge, I am certainly more sure of my musical terminology. I also want to say that I find what I have learned and everything you mentioned in your post very interesting. A lot of it on the historical side (Bela Bartok is the man), but I think if I have room in my course load I might finally take the Music in Cinema course that I always meant to take, but was always too uncomfortable to.You've mentioned a game music blog before (somewhere, right?), I'm here to tell you that you have at least one guaranteed reader.

On the topic of Rhythm Encounter, Stephen and Derek you guys need to release another episode or else Wild and I will just eat the whole thread!

Man, first I have to apologize Wild. I read this the first day you wrote it and I was waiting for a good time to respond in full. Unfortunately, I ended up having less to say than I thought and it took way too long. Sorry.

Mostly, I want to say that this was a really interesting read and while I don't think I've learned enough just listening to Into the Score to really effect my music knowledge, I am certainly more sure of my musical terminology. I also want to say that I find what I have learned and everything you mentioned in your post very interesting. A lot of it on the historical side (Bela Bartok is the man), but I think if I have room in my course load I might finally take the Music in Cinema course that I always meant to take, but was always too uncomfortable to.You've mentioned a game music blog before (somewhere, right?), I'm here to tell you that you have at least one guaranteed reader.

On the topic of Rhythm Encounter, Stephen and Derek you guys need to release another episode or else Wild and I will just eat the whole thread!

Thanks for taking an interest in my post! No need to apologize about tardiness or length of response. You'd be surprise how often that happens when I read something on here; I begin writing a tome-ish reply, but end up deleting it all and writing "Yeah, lol." instead (the last post actually took me a couple of days to write/re-write.) ;)

If you do have a slot in your class schedule, I do recommend taking the class, as it doesn’t require a background in music to fully enjoy it. You might be discomforted—perhaps even intimidated—at first if the class is taught by a music professor/others in the class are already musically informed, but stick to it and you’ll find that it is a very fascinating and thought-provoking class if you keep your mind open. Hey, if you ever need some help with some concepts/ideas in regards to classical music-film music relations, contact me on here and I’ll see if I can help you out to the best of my ability.

It’s actually interesting you mentioned the game music blog right after that, as this is one of the major my constructing of this blog: to assist students of various disciplines, as well the casual listener, with music related topics of various genres/eras/etc..

I hope to have the blog up and running by the end of August/middle of September, but I don’t have much for the site besides the menu options, appearance, and theme. I might end up pushing it until I feel I have enough content that can prove useful to the readers. Until then, I’ll see how it goes and perhaps poke around and let everyone know the status of the blog in the “What’s the Haps” thread, or a new topic entirely.

Other than that….let’s see a new episode here Rhythmr Encounter d00ds. ;)